Woman transported by Life Flight after Stucki Springs bike crash

WASHINGTON COUNTY — A woman was transported to the hospital via Life Flight Friday after crashing her mountain bike in rugged-terrain near Stucki Springs Trail.

A woman was transported to the hospital via Life Flight after crashing her mountain bike in rugged terrain near Stucki Springs Trail, Washington County, Utah, March 4, 2016 | Photo by Michael Durrant, St. George News

At approximately 11:30 a.m., Santa Clara Fire, Ivins EMS and Washington County Search and Rescue responded to a report of a mountain biking accident out near Stucki Springs, Washington County Sheriff’s Deputy Darrell Cashin said.

A 44-year-old woman was biking with four other women, who set out on their bikes at Navajo, Cashin said, and then rode across Bear Claw Poppy Trail.

When the women were on a trail that cuts into Stucki Springs Trail, Cashin said, the 44-year-old woman lost control of her bike before ultimately crashing and sustaining possible shoulder or clavicle injuries.

A medic was able to get through the rugged-terrain to the woman’s location in an Off Highway Vehicle and assess the woman’s condition.

A woman was transported to the hospital via Life Flight after crashing her mountain bike in rugged terrain near Stucki Springs, Washington County, Utah, March 4, 2016 | Photo courtesy of Washington County Search and Rescue, St. George News

“She was awake and conscious,” Cashin said, “just in a lot of pain.”

Due to the woman’s location, it was decided to dispatch Life Flight to the scene in order to fly the woman out of the area. Life Flight responded and transported the woman to Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George to be treated for her injuries.

Cashin said the Search and Rescue team gets dispatched to the area along Bear Claw Poppy and Stucki Springs on rescues at least a couple times per month.

“Especially when the weather is as good as it is right now,” Cashin said. “Obviously, the more people go out, the more chance people can get hurt. There was one out here about three weeks ago almost in that same location.”

A woman was transported to the hospital via Life Flight after crashing her mountain bike in rugged terrain near Stucki Springs Trail, Washington County, Utah, March 4, 2016 | Photo by Kimberly Scott, St. George News

People enjoying the trails should plan ahead and be prepared with plenty of water, a few first aid items, a fully-charged cellphone and a flashlight, Cashin said.

If people get lost or stranded and it gets dark, he added, rescue crews don’t want people to use their cellphones for light but, instead, to save their battery to communicate with responders.

“What we’re asking people to do is just be careful (and) watch where they’re actually going,” Cashin said. “Sometimes you get a little distracted looking at something or talking to your friends and then there’s a rock in front of you and you’ll hit it.”

Before setting out, Cashin said visitors should think ahead: “What if I don’t make it back in time, what would I need?”

This report is based on preliminary information provided by law enforcement or other emergency responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.

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A woman was transported to the hospital via Life Flight after crashing her mountain bike in rugged-terrain near Stucki Springs Trail, Washington County, Utah, March 4, 2016 | Photo courtesy of Washington County Search and Rescue, St. George News

A woman was transported to the hospital via Life Flight after crashing her mountain bike in rugged-terrain near Stucki Springs Trail, Washington County, Utah, March 4, 2016 | Photo by Kimberly Scott, St. George News

A woman was transported to the hospital via Life Flight after crashing her mountain bike in rugged-terrain near Stucki Springs Trail, Washington County, Utah, March 4, 2016 | Photo courtesy of Washington County Search and Rescue, St. George News

A woman was transported to the hospital via Life Flight after crashing her mountain bike in rugged-terrain near Stucki Springs Trail, Washington County, Utah, March 4, 2016 | Photo courtesy of Washington County Search and Rescue, St. George News

A woman was transported to the hospital via Life Flight after crashing her mountain bike in rugged-terrain near Stucki Springs, Washington County, Utah, March 4, 2016 | Photo by Kimberly Scott, St. George News

A woman was transported to the hospital via Life Flight after crashing her mountain bike in rugged-terrain near Stucki Springs Trail, Washington County, Utah, March 4, 2016 | Photo by Michael Durrant, St. George News

A woman was transported to the hospital via Life Flight after crashing her mountain bike in rugged-terrain near Stucki Springs Trail, Washington County, Utah, March 4, 2016 | Photo by Michael Durrant, St. George News

A woman was transported to the hospital via Life Flight after crashing her mountain bike in rugged-terrain near Stucki Springs Trail, Washington County, Utah, March 4, 2016 | Photo by Michael Durrant, St. George News

A woman was transported to the hospital via Life Flight after crashing her mountain bike in rugged-terrain near Stucki Springs Trail Trail, Washington County, Utah, March 4, 2016 | Photo by Kimberly Scott, St. George News

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About the Author

Kimberly Scott is a lifetime resident of Southern Utah. In 2013, Kimberly joined St. George News as a vital member of its editing, reporting and administrative team. She is passionate about engaging communities through writing and is dedicated to providing complete and accurate coverage of both anticipated and breaking news.

1 Comment

Introducing children to mountain biking is CRIMINAL. Mountain biking, besides being expensive and very environmentally destructive, is extremely dangerous. Recently a 12-year-old girl DIED during her very first mountain biking lesson! Another became quadriplegic at 13! Serious accidents and even deaths are commonplace. Truth be told, mountain bikers want to introduce kids to mountain biking because (1) they want more people to help them lobby to open our precious natural areas to mountain biking and (2) children are too naive to understand and object to this activity. For 500+ examples of serious accidents and deaths caused by mountain biking, see http://mjvande.info/mtb_dangerous.htm.

Bicycles should not be allowed in any natural area. They are inanimate objects and have no rights. There is also no right to mountain bike. That was settled in federal court in 1996: http://mjvande.info/mtb10.htm . It’s dishonest of mountain bikers to say that they don’t have access to trails closed to bikes. They have EXACTLY the same access as everyone else — ON FOOT! Why isn’t that good enough for mountain bikers? They are all capable of walking….

A favorite myth of mountain bikers is that mountain biking is no more harmful to wildlife, people, and the environment than hiking, and that science supports that view. Of course, it’s not true. To settle the matter once and for all, I read all of the research they cited, and wrote a review of the research on mountain biking impacts (see http://mjvande.info/scb7.htm ). I found that of the seven studies they cited, (1) all were written by mountain bikers, and (2) in every case, the authors misinterpreted their own data, in order to come to the conclusion that they favored. They also studiously avoided mentioning another scientific study (Wisdom et al) which did not favor mountain biking, and came to the opposite conclusions.

Those were all experimental studies. Two other studies (by White et al and by Jeff Marion) used a survey design, which is inherently incapable of answering that question (comparing hiking with mountain biking). I only mention them because mountain bikers often cite them, but scientifically, they are worthless.

Mountain biking accelerates erosion, creates V-shaped ruts, kills small animals and plants on and next to the trail, drives wildlife and other trail users out of the area, and, worst of all, teaches kids that the rough treatment of nature is okay (it’s NOT!). What’s good about THAT?